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Magic Lantern Films takes its name from the old Magic Lantern Theater, now called the Isla Vista Theater. In the 1970s, the Magic Lantern was an art house that screened classic, independent and foreign films.

The new Magic Lantern picks up where the old one left off by screening critically acclaimed films as well as cult classics. The diverse selection of films will appeal to a variety of audience tastes.

Films screen every Monday night and Thursday night at 8pm during the school year, and every Friday night at 8pm during the summer! Check our schedule for the date and location. Free for UCSB students/$6 for general admission.

WINTER 2025 SCHEDULE

ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND

IV Theater
Thursday January 9

8:00pm

DIRECTOR: MICHEL GONDRY
2004 / 108MIN

Joel Barish, heartbroken that his girlfriend underwent a procedure to erase him from her memory, decides to do the same. However, as he watches his memories of her fade away, he realises that he still loves her, and may be too late to correct his mistake.
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THERE IS NO EVIL

TD-W 1701
Monday January 13

8:00pm

DIRECTOR: MOHAMMAD RASOULOF
2021 / 150MIN

Set against the backdrop of Iran’s strict and oppressive legal system, this anthology film tells the stories of four men who each face a moral crisis when having to deal with death penalties.
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WE LIVE IN TIME

IV Theater
Thursday January 16

8:00pm

DIRECTOR: JOHN CROWLEY
2024 / 108MIN

Almut and Tobias are brought together by a surprise encounter that changes their lives. As they embark on a path challenged by the limits of time, they learn to cherish each moment of their unconventional love story.
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SATURDAY NIGHT

IV Theater
Thursday January 23

8:00pm

DIRECTOR: JASON REITMAN
2024 / 109MIN

Tensions run high as producer Lorne Michaels and a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers prepare for the first broadcast of "Saturday Night Live" on Oct. 11, 1975.
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PONYO

TD-W 1701
Monday January 27

8:00pm

DIRECTOR: HAYAO MIYAZAKI
2008 / 101MIN

During a forbidden excursion to see the surface world, a goldfish princess encounters a human boy named Sosuke, who gives her the name Ponyo. Ponyo longs to become human, and as her friendship with Sosuke grows, she becomes more humanlike. Ponyo's father brings her back to their ocean kingdom, but so strong is Ponyo's wish to live on the surface that she breaks free, and in the process, spills a collection of magical elixirs that endanger Sosuke's village.
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THE SUBSTANCE

IV Theater
Thursday January 30

8:00pm

DIRECTOR: CORALIE FARGEAT
2024 / 104MIN

Elisabeth Sparkle, renowned for an aerobics show, faces a devastating blow on her 50th birthday as her boss fires her. Amid her distress, a laboratory offers her a substance which promises to transform her into an enhanced version of herself.
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THE BLACK SEA

TD-W 1701
Monday February 3

8:00pm

DIRECTORS: DERRICK B. HARDEN & CRYSTAL MOSELLE
2024 / 96MIN

A man journeys to a small Eastern European coastal town where he finds unexpected connections despite being the only black person in the area.
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MARIE ANTOINETTE

IV Theater
Thursday February 6

8:00pm

DIRECTOR: SOFIA COPPOLA
2006 / 123MIN

The retelling of France’s iconic but ill-fated queen, Marie Antoinette. From her betrothal and marriage to Louis XVI at 15 to her reign as queen at 19 and ultimately the fall of Versailles.
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BLUE VELVET

TD-W 1701
Monday February 10

8:00pm

DIRECTOR: DAVID LYNCH
1986 / 120MIN

Clean-cut Jeffrey Beaumont realizes his hometown is not so normal when he discovers a human ear in a field, the investigation soon catapulting him toward a disturbed nightclub singer and a drug-addicted sadist.
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WICKED

IV Theater
Thursday February 13

8:00pm

DIRECTOR: JON M. CHU
2024 / 162MIN

When ostracized and misunderstood green-skinned Elphaba is forced to share a room with the popular aristocrat Glinda, the two’s unlikely friendship is tested as they begin to fulfill their respective destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
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CONCLAVE

IV Theater
Thursday February 20

8:00pm

DIRECTOR: EDWARD BERGER
2024 / 120MIN

After the unexpected death of the Pope, Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with managing the covert and ancient ritual of electing a new one. Sequestered in the Vatican with the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders until the process is complete, Lawrence finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could lead to its downfall.
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THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW

Campbell Hall
Friday February 21

10:00pm

DIRECTOR: JIM SHARMAN
1975 / 100MIN

Sweethearts Brad and Janet, stuck with a flat tire during a storm, discover the eerie mansion of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a transvestite scientist. As their innocence is lost, Brad and Janet meet a houseful of wild characters, including a rocking biker and a creepy butler. Through elaborate dances and rock songs, Frank-N-Furter unveils his latest creation: a muscular man named ‘Rocky’.
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A REAL PAIN

TD-W 1701
Monday February 24

8:00pm

DIRECTOR: JESSE EISENBERG
2024 / 90MIN

Mismatched cousins David and Benji reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the pair’s old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.
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A COMPLETE UNKNOWN

IV Theater
Thursday February 27

8:00pm

DIRECTOR: JAMES MANGOLD
2024 / 141MIN

New York, early 1960s. Against the backdrop of a vibrant music scene and tumultuous cultural upheaval, an enigmatic 19-year-old from Minnesota arrives in the West Village with his guitar and revolutionary talent, destined to change the course of American music.
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GET AWAY

TD-W 1701
Monday March 3

8:00pm

DIRECTOR: STEFFEN HAARS
2024 / 86MIN

A family’s vacation to a remote getaway takes an unexpected turn when they discover the island they’re on is inhabited by a serial killer.
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MIDSOMMAR

TD-W 1701
Monday March 3

10:00pm

DIRECTOR: ARI ASTER
2019 / 147MIN

Several friends travel to Sweden to study as anthropologists a summer festival that is held every ninety years in the remote hometown of one of them. What begins as a dream vacation in a place where the sun never sets, gradually turns into a dark nightmare as the mysterious inhabitants invite them to participate in their disturbing festive activities.
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QUEER

IV Theater
Thursday March 6

8:00pm

DIRECTOR: LUCA GUADAGNINO
2024 / 136MIN

1950. William Lee, an American expat in Mexico City, spends his days almost entirely alone, except for a few contacts with other members of the small American community. His encounter with Eugene Allerton, an expat former soldier, new to the city, shows him, for the first time, that it might be finally possible to establish an intimate connection with somebody.
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